Cain Velasquez pleaded guilty or guilty in his 2022 attempted murder case.
According to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, the UFC champion pleaded guilty to felony assault and weapons charges as part of a negotiated deal with the DA's office.
The charges stem from an incident in which Velasquez allegedly fired shots at another vehicle during a high-speed chase. A man accused of sexually abusing Velasquez's 4-year-old relative was inside the other vehicle at the time.
The man's stepfather was also inside the vehicle and was wounded by a bullet.
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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the corner of Gabriel Benitez of Mexico during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Velasquez, who stepped away from competitive mixed martial arts in 2019, was scheduled to go to trial in September. He still faces prison time, Rosen's office said.
But the no-contest plea means the premeditated murder charges against Velasquez will be dropped. Velasquez will no longer face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
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The man accused of abusing the boy is the adult son of a woman who ran a daycare center the boy attended.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the corner of Gabriel Benitez during his featherweight bout against David Onama during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Rosen said the location of the shooting put the children and their parents at risk.
“This defendant chose to make himself judge, jury and executioner. His actions endangered innocent bystanders, including young children and their parents, who could have been injured or killed when he shot his intended victim,” Rosen said in a statement.
“We have excellent law enforcement in this county. Let them do their job.”
Cain Velasquez has his hands wrapped backstage during a UFC Fight Night event at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 17, 2019, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Velasquez is suspected of using a .40-caliber handgun to fire several shots at the truck, but the stepfather is not believed to have been the intended target. The victim was shot in the arm and torso.
Velasquez was arrested in 2022 and released from jail in November 2022 after posting bail while awaiting trial. Harry Goularte, the man accused of sexual abuse, continues to await trial on child abuse charges.
Velasquez's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.
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Velasquez and his attorney, Renee Hessling, declined to comment after a court hearing Friday, the Bay Area News Group reported.
Velasquez won his first UFC heavyweight championship in 2012 by defeating Junior dos Santos. Velasquez successfully defended his title twice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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